vWD: What is it? And What Do We Know About It?
von Willebrand disease (vWD), a common inherited bleeding disorder, mostly has an inaccurate diagnosis and is often held with diagnostic limitations. As a result, VWD goes underdiagnosed or even misdiagnosed, leading to substantial patient morbidity that could have otherwise been evaded. The disorder affects around 3.2 million of the US population, and upon considering the diagnostic limitations, it leads to an increased burden on the healthcare system.
So what is von Willebrand disease, and why does it end up being misdiagnosed?
A chronic bleeding illness, von Willebrand Disease, leads to improper clotting of the blood. People with vWD have low levels of von Willebrand factor, a type of protein that aids in blood clotting, whereas in some cases, this protein completely fails to work.
The severity and symptoms of this disease can be different for every person. This holds even for those who are either family relatives or belong to the same subtype. The disorder can sometimes be asymptomatic, show mild to moderate symptoms, or have severe bleeding symptoms in rare cases.
VWD categories depend on whether a person has a defective type, a low level, or both types of von Willebrand factor. The disorder has two forms: acquired and inherited, in which the inherited form is again divided into Type 1, Type 2 (again subdivided into 2A, 2B, 2M, 2N), and Type 3, where Type 1 is the most prevalent.
vWD occurs equally in men and women, however, women often show more symptoms of von Willebrand disease because of heavy or abnormal bleeding after childbirth or while going through their menstrual periods. In the US, 55.50% of females suffer from identified VMD prevalent cases as per reports.
The existing von Willebrand disease treatment market is divided into three chief categories related to the type of drugs under application: Replacement therapy, Adjunct therapy, and Non-replacement therapy. Desmopressin is usually the first line of treatment, whereas Replacement therapy makes for the second line of treatment. Some FDA-approved VMD replacement therapies include Wilate® (Grifols), Alphanate® (Octapharma), Vonvendi (Takeda), Humate-P® (CSL Behring), and others.
vWD is often confused with Hemophilia, however, it should be noted that both have distinctive bleeding patterns. Although females and males are equally affected in VWD, the majority of those diagnosed with Hemophilia are males. VWD patients, unlike hemophiliacs, are uncommon to bleed into their joints. Most patients with von Willebrand Disease do not exhibit bleeding symptoms frequently, except for females who have substantial menstrual and heavy bleeding after childbirth.
A patients’ life expectancy and quality of life are drastically changed due to vWD. To satisfy the unmet requirements in the vWD treatment market, leading companies have undertaken many clinical trials to bring efficacious therapeutic solutions. Many other companies are navigating the possibility of using gene therapy as a therapeutic option for VWD. Finally, increased healthcare spending, the launch of novel drugs, regulatory approval, and greater awareness are projected to resolve many existing VWD management and therapies issues in the following years.
